


The Nightmare Eater

by Akumeoi



Series: All Covered In Gold [7]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fae, Consent Issues, Fae & Fairies, Fae Magic, Gen, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-18 07:57:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14848788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akumeoi/pseuds/Akumeoi
Summary: Prompto is a dark fey from Niflheim, a nightmare eater - a creature which is not supposed to exist in Lucis. For years he's gone without the dark energy of nightmares which he needs to subsist on. It's only a matter of time until something breaks.





	The Nightmare Eater

Noctis’s nightmares smelled delicious, and Prompto was _starving_. 

This was far from the first time they had shared a bed. Usually Prompto would lie there in the dark, silently inhaling whiffs of the dark energy that hung around Noctis in a miasma. It would take the edge off his hunger, and then he’d be able to fall asleep for around four hours - that was all the sleep a night fey like him needed. 

But tonight, they were an hour into Noctis’s first nightmare, and Prompto’s stomach was still growling viciously. Lying here flaring his nostrils and getting only faint traces of Noctis’s nightmares was torturous. Before he knew it, he had gotten so close to Noctis that his nose was practically pressed up against his neck as he inhaled. Involuntarily, he let out a little moan and then closed his eyes, as if in pain.

He could not eat Noctis’s nightmares. No matter how hungry he was, no matter how much more peaceful it would make Noctis’s sleep. Because if Noctis woke up and discovered that Prompto was fey - and worse, feeding from him - he was looking at automatic execution without a trial. Or if Noctis had any compassion in his heart, deportation to Niflheim, where the wild fey would rip him apart. There were supposed to be no fey in Lucis. 

Just then, Noctis started twitching. His eyelids fluttered. “Mom!” he said, in a tone that nearly broke Prompto’s heart. He knew what nightmare this was - the one that smelled the richest, the one that lasted the longest, the one that always made Noctis shuffle around like a zombie in the morning - the one where his family car had been attacked by a rogue Naga fey when he was a child, and his mother had been killed. Prompto hated watching him have this one. Noctis whimpered, his terror sharp and visceral in the still dark of the room.

Then the smell hit. Prompto’s stomach roiled. To his horror, he found his glamour beginning to fray, his nails elongating to points and his teeth growing clustered and sharp in his mouth. He knew also, that his pupils would have narrowed to slits and the freckles on his face rearranged and become fine, shimmering markings. His back was itching, as gossamer wings threatened to emerge from their buds.

 _If he woke up right now…_ Prompto thought fearfully, though he couldn’t tear his eyes from the sleeping Noctis. He should leave the room, wait until he had stopped salivating and his face had gone back to normal. 

Instead, he found himself on his hands and knees over Noctis’s prone body, staring down at his sleeping face, his furrowed brows. 

_What am I doing,_ he thought. _I should stop this, now._

For long minutes Prompto stared down at Noctis's face, his blank expression belying the war within him. But the smell was just too strong. Prompto leaned in.

He had heard that a night fey’s kiss could put a human into a deep sleep from which they would not wake. Instinctively, he went to brush his lips against Noctis’s cheek. But he stopped himself, afraid that he might not be able to reverse whatever magic it was that would put him asleep. Instead, he cupped Noctis’s chin with one hand and gently opened his mouth. 

Inside, shining at the back of Noctis’s throat, was a knot of black energy. It looked like a light if a light could be made out of darkness, like the head of a black-casting match. But Prompto was beyond consciously describing anything now. His wings burst from his back, completing his transformation as he leaned in, pressed his open mouth to Noctis’s, and took a deep, inhaling breath. 

Noctis’s nightmare hit the back of his throat like a drug. Prompto’s entire body shuddered as he sucked down another intoxicating breath. He took from Noctis again and again, sucking down dark energy like a man in a desert drinks water. The pain in his stomach faded, and his body felt suffused with energy. He chased the nightmare to its completion, drinking every last drop from Noctis’s mouth. He was so busy drawing out the last fleeting wisps of energy that he failed to notice Noctis was starting to stir. 

Noctis’s eyes snapped open. 

That was all the warning Prompto got before a leg hooked around one of his, a hand grabbed the front of his shirt. The world turned upside down as Noctis flipped him onto his back, crushing his wings into the bed. Knees pressed down against his legs, and Noctis pinned one of his arms above his head, even as he used his other hand to hold a sword to Prompto’s throat. 

“What the fuck is this,” Noctis spat. It took Prompto’s brain a second to catch up with what had just happened. As it did, the world resolved into terrifying place. What seemed to be the biggest, sharpest piece of metal he had ever seen in his life was pressed up against his throat, but it was nothing compared to the fury in Noctis’s eyes. 

“N-noct,” he stuttered, feeling his whole body freeze. Oh gods, he wished he was dead, or at least somewhere that wasn’t here. Why couldn’t he go back in time just a minute ago and tell himself to stop, to _stop_ before it was too late? Hastily, he tried to pull the remnants of his glamour together, but it was too late - Noctis had seen him. 

“Prompto?” Noctis said disbelievingly. “You’re fey?” His eyes narrowed. “You were trying to kill me.”

“No!” Prompto said desperately. “No, of course not, I would never -”

“Give me one good reason-”

“Your nightmares,” Prompto cut in. “I’m a nightmare eater. I just, I just wanted them, I’m sorry.” Tears of shame were springing up behind his eyes, but he bit his lip and pushed them back. He could not go to pieces. He had to explain. “I swear, Noct, I would never hurt you.”

Noctis looked down at Prompto grimly, his mouth set into a thin line. “But you think it’s okay to just - do whatever it is you were doing. Without even asking.” 

At those words, Prompto’s breath hitched in his throat. He knew what he had done was wrong. He had no real excuse for it. “No, I don’t, I - I just,” he started, trying to make himself breathe. “I was so hungry, Noct,” he said, and tears started leaking from the corners of his eyes. With his arms still pinned, he was helpless to wipe them away. Even after eating Noctis’s most filling nightmare, Prompto was _still_ hungry. Starving, gods damnit. _Starving._

And in spite of the fact that he had just eaten one of Noctis’s major nightmares, Noctis was still surrounded by a cloud of dark energy from all the bad dreams he’d accumulated over the years. It had to be heavy on him. 

For a moment, Noctis just watched him, expression cold. “Hungry,” he said.

Prompto didn’t know if that was an invitation to explain or not, but he had to try. “You have so many nightmares. They always smell so good.” He paused, and shut his eyes, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Tonight… I just lost it. I’m so sorry.” Not knowing if he should keep talking, Prompto gritted his teeth. When he opened his eyes he saw that Noctis's expression had finally shifted, so that he looked just a little bit taken aback.

“You’re telling me this is the first time?” he said, frowning. Prompto nodded. He knew why that mattered. One time could be a mistake. More than once could not. He could only pray that Noctis would believe him.

There was silence as Noctis thought, his gaze trained on Prompto’s tearful face. The blade flashed in the low light as he shifted it a little. The press of his hand on Prompto’s upraised arm let up for a moment, then came down again hard, making Prompto wince.

“How do I know I can trust you?” Noctis said at last. 

Prompto didn’t even have to think. “My word is my bond,” he said immediately. “I never lied to you, Noct. You just assumed I was human, like everybody else did.”

There was silence again. 

“Fine. Then give me your word.”

“Anything, Noct.”

“If I put away the sword, we’ll talk. You won’t run away, or fight me. And whatever I decide, you have to go along with it after.”

Hardly daring to believe his ears, Prompto said, “I mean, of course. Of course. I’ll do anything you want. I give you my word.”

Noctis sucked in a breath. Then, he lifted the blade from Prompto’s throat, and it vanished into thin air. He sat back on his knees, finally freeing Prompto to vanish his poor crunched wings back into their buds and come up into a sitting position, mirroring Noctis’s pose. He wiped the tears from his eyes as Noctis flicked on the bedside lamp. They sat together like that on their shared bed, the space between them full of words unsaid, but no weapons, no secrets. Prompto’s heart was beating fast. He could barely understand what was happening. Was Noctis giving him a chance to make up for his mistake?

Noctis’s eyes were dark, but his voice level as he spoke.

“Explain it to me,” Noctis said. “Everything. I want to understand.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for Promptis week 2018 day 7: sharing a bed. The other two prompts for this day were very fluff oriented. Whoopsies. But don't worry. I wrote a super fluffy fic for day 8.
> 
> For those of you who don't know, "glamour" is a magical enchantment that hides the true face of a fey and makes them look like a human.
> 
> "My word is my bond" was taken from the official FFXV character posters or something like that.
> 
> Comments always welcome!


End file.
